The Jade Knights: Book 1
by Kel the Cool
Summary: Who are they? Where did they come from? And why are they trying to destroy all the magic in the world? RandR PLEASE! Slight romance and humor in this book and as much as possible in the next.
1. Who?

A mysterious looking man with light brown, almost blond, hair and blue-green eyes, clamored up the sole rig in the valley. It was a hard climb, seeing as he was wearing heavy jade armor. He looked out at his vast army of warriors in triumph, their similar armor, made iron and jade, glinting in the evening light.

Today would be the start of the first great victory of the Jade Knights and General Nathaniel could see his men were ready. His spy had gained the enemy's trust and had reported back how best to destroy them.

"Err, sir, the men are getting restless. They want to move out," said the anxious Scanran Captain standing to his left.

Nathanial sighed. "Tell the knights to prepare; we make our move at sunup." He said without looking away from the scene before him.

"Very good, my Lord," the young Captain said and he trotted off to spread the good news.

(line)

The Jade Knights and the rest of the Scanran army were lined up and in battle formation, waiting for the General come and lead the assault. They would have a short walk to their destination and when they arrived, they would merely have to wait till nightfall to go in and take their sleeping prisoners that their spy had drugged with sleeping draught.

And since they already took all the forts and fiefs bordering Scanra, this was the only one left.

Not even a mage could mess up this plan.

Just as a brawl was about to arise between one of the Jade Knights and Scanrans, the General rode up to the head of the army's formation and silence spread throughout the troops.

"Forward hoe!" Were the only words he yelled to his men, but it was enough to send his forces marching onward toward the place of the pillaging,

To Fort New Hope

(line)

Keladry of Mindelan was just outside of New Hope near the dense woods surrounding the fort, training the younger generation of the camp in archery and glaive work.

Kel watched her young archers fire at their target from a mile off until she decided that that was enough for today and let them go in to their supper.

As she turned to leave, she nearly bumped right into Nealen of Queenscove. "Watch were your bumping, Meathead." She said smiling. "Kel, you'll never guess who just came through the front gate!" Neal gasped, grinning ear to ear.

"King Jonathan the IV." She answered sarcastically.

"No." He said, rolling his eyes. "Go and see!"

Kel ran back into the fort, suspecting who it was, and ran right up to Domitian of Masbolle.

"Hey, what are you doing here? We were about to get ready to leave." She said, bewildered

"What, you don't like seeing your friendly neighborhood Sergeant?" He said grinning.

"Nope, but we don't like seeing our friendly neighborhood annoyance." Said Neal as he walked up to the pair.

"Meathead!" Dom cried grabbing his Cousin playfully around the shoulders and ruffled his hair.

"Sir Meathead, Sir! Does no one see me as the knight I am?"

"The knight you are, yes. The knight you think you are, well that's another matter entirely."

"Enough, peace. Dom, you still haven't answered my question." Kel said laughing.

"Well I figured we both have to go and report to my Lord Wyldon, so we might as well go together."

"Well then, let's mount up and move out."


	2. What?

Mora crept towered the front gate with six Clydesdales in tow, smiling at the sleeping guards and civilians who had passed out where they stood.

She would, of course, get a large reworded from her Lord Commander for her serves.

Mora started to tie the horses to gate rope to open it for the Scanran army.

When she was done she smacked the first horse on the flank and sent them running. The gate flew open and the Scanran army was on the other and the only reason they weren't cheering, was that they had been threatened with their lives if they made a sound.

The men ran into Haven, some with carts to carry their captives out. As the army moved around them fifty worriers, all in jade/iron armor, led by General Nathaniel, marched toward Mora.

"My Liege," she said, head bowed and bending into a deep curtsy.

"Yes, Mora isn't it? Yes of course it is. Now, before I give you your do reword I would like to thank you for your help in our conquest."

Mora took his hand and kissed it. "Ah, yes." He said smiling. He gestured to one of the five knights closest to him and he stepped forward. "And now for your reword." Mora looked up and gasped as a spear with a head of unicorn horn slashed through her middle.

"It's really too good for the witch." Nathaniel spat out 'witch' like a curse.

One of the Scanran men came up to him and saluted. "Sir, what should we do with the mages?"

"Put them in the mage proof chains." The General said. The soldier nodded and turned. "And soldier," "Yes Sir?" "Keep some men here when we leave, to get Lady Keladry and her friends when they arrive."

The Scanran grinned. "Yes, My Lord."

(line)

When Tobeis Boon awoke it was dark and he saw he was in a large room, probably a tent, with many other people from New Hope; which he thought was odd that it was only them, but he dismissed it.

"Tobe?" said a meek voice coming closer.

"I'm here Loesia. Do you have Gydo and of the children with you?"

"Yes, we're here."

Tobe sighed in relief. "Good. Where are w—"

Two men lifted the tent flap, walked in and started to put chains on the people and pull them up. "Get up and move out ye southern swine!"

They were pushed out into the night, the glint of jade confusing them, and stumbled into carts that were quickly driven away.

Some of the prisoners were absent, for they only took up ten carts. Tobe hoped that they were still at camp, but knew the chances were slim.

"Tobe, I'm scared." Said Reemt, one of the twenty children captured.

"Don't be afraid, Lady Keladry will be here soon." _I hope_ Tobe thought, but smiled to reassure the young frightened girl.

(line)

Nathaniel rode along with his Jade Knights, on his dark brown Clydesdale, Tom. He suddenly motioned for Indory, his new mage.

"Yes My Lord?" She hissed.

"I want me and 30,000 men fifty miles from Mage's Tower before we head out tomorrow."

"It will take some doing Lord." She said then saw the look on his face. "Yes, of course Lord."

Nathaniel rode passed her and gestured to one of his top jade worriers, Isaac. "Watch the mage."

"Yes Lord." He said and turned his horse to follow Indory.

"Magic," Nathaniel murmured. "Can't be trusted."

(line)

When Kel got to New Hope, she was greatly surprised to find it occupied with about 100 Scanran warriors.

Ok, surprised is a bit of an understatement.

She, three of her friends and Dom's squad barely made it out with their lives and still came out with major and minor injuries. They were presently in a dark cave, about 15 miles from fort New Hope.

"What in the divine realms happened back there?" Dom asked as Neal was cleaning his sliced and bloody leg in haste.

"How should I know, Doorknob." Neal said, and finished bandaging and went to tend to Kel's wounds.

"All I know is that none of New Hope's people are still there." Gasped Kel, still breathing heavily, and it didn't help that Neal was pulling a thick knife from her shoulder.

"Ahh!" She yelled as he finally got the blade out of her deltoid.

"Kel, don't worry, you saw there were no bodies lying around and very little rotten meat smell." Merric said rubbing his already healed, arm.

"Then ware could they have gone? Why would anyone take an entire refugee camp, without killing as much as one guard?" Questioned Dom.

Keladry of Mindelan, Protector of the Small, closed her eyes and leaned back against the cold cave wall. "I don't know, but I will, and when I do I'm going to track them down, bring them back and make whoever took them pay."

Kel opened her dreamy hazel eyes and looked around the stone room at the three people she trusted most in the world, and into their argumentative faces.

_Oh well,_ she thought as she began to see the insides of her eyelids, _they can try to talk me out of it tomorrow._

And with that she went into a deep, deep sleep. The likes of which she not return from for many a day and a night.


	3. Where?

The General and his armed forces had landed 10 miles from Mages Tower the night before, with the help of four mages now finding the peaceful realms not so peaceful for their territory.

Nathaniel looked out once more at his army of skilled warriors from his vantage point of a cliff at least 60 feet up.

They were obviously restless from the lack of their need as soldiers, but not very pleased their first duty as military would be to capture the world's greatest mage and dangerous wild mage.

Nathaniel turned around to face his newest mage, Gared. Gared was an old, short, pudgy man who always seemed to be tripping over his own feet or sniffling up his large nose.

He was one of the seven remaining black robed mages.

"My Lord, I and your other five black robes have a working shield up that will cloak your army."

"And the mage cannot even smell us?"

"Correct, all he will sense is a powerful mage somewhere in the vicinity."

"Good, we move in four hours." The General said and a smile escaped his usually unreadable mouth, though it was a harsh one.

(line)

Veralidaine Salmalín came out of the small nursery in her and her husband, Numair's, home with their son Rikash sound asleep on her shoulder.

Diane walked over to the silent, anxious figure at the window, facing the seemingly empty woods below.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"There's something out there, but nothing definite." He knit his brows even more. "That hasn't happened in some time."

"Wait a minute, **you** can't detect them?"

Numair nodded.

Diane shuddered. "Should we alert Alanna? Pirates Swoop is only a few miles off…" She trailed off as Numair shook his head, turned toward her and smiled.

"No, I wouldn't want to bother her, Magelet. I'm probably just tired."

Diane wrinkled her brow.

"All right, as long as your sure," She said and walked back to the nursery to put Sarra and Rikash to bed.

"If only I was." Numair muttered then turned and walked back to help put his children to bed.

(line)

The next day, as Numair was reading, Diane and Kitten were playing with Sarra while Rikash slept in his crib, they heard the sound of metal wings flapping.

Diane lunged toward her bow and quiver; she strung her large bow quickly and notched her first arrow and told Skysong, "Kitten, take Sarra to Rikash and **stay **with them!" Kit started to argue. "_**NOW!"**_ Kitten grabbed Sarra and ran with her down the stairs to stay with her brother.

Numair jumped up and ran to the window already gathering his magic up in his hands, preparing to fire it.

"Wait, pink pigs! I have a message for you from the humans about to destroy you." The Stormwing shrieked, tossing a rolled up piece of parchment at them through the tower window.

Numair opened the document and started to read, while Diane sneaked a peak out the window and was almost shot by the arrow of one of the 30,000 enemy soldiers.

"It's a surrender document." Numair said when she walked over to him.

Diane let out a string of curses.

'To the Salmalín's,' it read. 'I understand that you will not surrender, so this is merely for politics.

'Surrender must be immediate. Any hesitation for, oh, an hour will be considered a no.

'If you do not comply we will be forced take you by brute force, blah, blah, blah, sell your children into slavery, yady, yady, ya.'

The wild mage gritted her teeth.

'Now for the fun part; when you are captured, any hostile acts by Veralidaine Salmalín, Numair Salmalín and or the dragon, Skysong, will be punishable by the death of one of the Salmalín's children.'

There was a note at the bottom of the parchment; 'Oh, and by the way, don't even think of trying to stop us with magic, we have five of the seven black robed mages with us who just so happen to have been working on a shield that, not only prevents the Gift, but also wild magic. The animals can't even tell Diane's in danger.'

Diane was about to go back to the window to shoot down the entire army herself until Numair rested a hand on her shoulder.

He shook his head and walked over to the roaring fire and started a communication spell, to try to get help from Pirate's Swoop.

The black fire dissipated just after it left his hands.

He cursed. "Diane, try your wild magic."

"It's no use; I can't even feel the People." She said, looking at Numair desperately.

Seeing the look of hopelessness on the mage's face she turned stern, "We've fought stormwings, spidrens, basically any Immortal you can think of, entire armies! We can't just give up now!"

"Magelet, with them we had the advantage; your wild magic and my Gift. Now, we can't do anything."

Diane sighed "But why can't you just use one of the pre made spell?" "No good, jade is invulnerable to magic." Numair continued, "Even though we should never trust the enemy, we have no other choice."

"Well? What's your answer, pigs?" The stormwing had returned.

Numair looked at his Diane, Diane looked at Numair.

"Due to greater numbers and superior magic," Numair said through gritted teeth.

"We are forced to surrender."

The stormwing spat at them through the wide window. "You take all the fun out of working with evil." It shrieked and flew off to tell the General the unexpected news.


	4. Why?

Twenty far too short minutes later Numair Salmalín, Veralidaine Salmalín, Sarra Salmalín, Rikash Salmalín and Skysong walked out of their home of Mages Tower.

Rikash and Sarra had been crying and were just now starting to quiet down as their mother held them and their father kept his arm around her.

They were searched for any weapons, they had confiscated Diane's bow given to her in the Divine Realms, and then shackled them in mage – and wild mage – proof chains.

"I'm dreadfully sorry for the inconvenience," said a sarcastic voice amongst the crowd of Scanran soldiers and warriors in jade.

Then he stepped forward.

General Nathaniel the Conqueror looked like death in a midnight black cape that closed up tight in the front and that spread out majestically on the ground around him.

He was tall, as tall as Numair, with a long, far too pale face and deep blue-green eyes. His captives could not see the color of his hair for the hood of the cape was so low it all most covered his eyes.

"But you must understand, I can't let you get powerful enough to actually stop me, now can I?" He said with a smirk on his face and a gesture to the Salmalín's home just in time for them to see it be set on fire and slowly burned to the ground.

"You'll never get away with this! Plenty of people have tried and failed to conquer Tortall! We will stop you." Diane said then bent down to help Kitten calm Rikash and Sarra who had begun to cry again.

"Yes I know, but now I've got the world's most powerful mage and wild mage and fort New Hope. The world is half mine."

"What does a refugee camp have to do with this?" Numair asked, curious in spite of himself.

"Oh, much more then you know."

Nathaniel replied grinning. Without taking his eyes off of them, he said to one of his top five Jade Knights, Albert, "Take our guests to their quarters." "Yes, sir." The warrior took the free end of the shackles that connected Numair, Diane and Skysong.

"Oh, and don't be too rough with them, they will be **very** important." Albert smiled only slightly. "Yes General." And with that he led them to their 'quarters' which were really nothing but steal cages with a grey shimmer incasing it.

(line)

Nathaniel walked silently thru the dense forest surrounding Mages Tower, his latest conquest.

He thought of the lives he had taken. Though he would never tell anyone, he actually felt sorry for those who he killed.

_They'll thank me, just wait, they'll thank me._

Nathaniel heard a solider run toward him.

"My Lord," He said bowing.

"Taren, yes?" The General tried to remember as many names he could-he found it made people like you more.

"Yes my Lord," Taren said proudly. "The men are ready to move out once more."

Nathaniel sighed and turned back to the forest. "Very well." He said.

Suddenly, without looking up, he pulled a strange metal device out of his cloak, pointed in to the air and made it release a loud _**BANG!**_

A griffon immediately plummeted down to the ground just a foot away from Nathaniel,

Dead.

(line)

Rachaela snuck thru one of the dark secret halls of Pirates Swoop. She was in one of the unexplored parts of the castle and she was constantly jumping at the slightest sound, such as the rat that had just gone by.

Rachaela walked straight up to the wall and pushed in three stones that were laid in a triangle and suddenly, a door in the wall opened up to reveal half of the Jade Knights, about 50, led by Nathaniel and his five cronies, Isaac, Albert, Leonardo, Galileo and Flavius.

The Knights raced through the tunnel and under the intricate crossbeams, and the six powerful figures stepped toward her.

"Ah, we finally meet, my dear. I have been looking forward to meeting one who would serve such a new and honorable cause." The General said, words like honey dripping from his lips. He bowed slightly to her, a chilling smile set on his face.

Solemnly, Albert drew his long sword.

"Now, now, none of that." Nathaniel said, still smiling icily at the now shaking girl in front of him.

"Tell me now, Mistress, do you happen to be a mage?"

Rachaela shook her head vigorously.

"There, you see? No need for anything rash."

He turned to Galileo. "Take our guest to her quarters." The Jade clad man inclined his head, saluted and politely led the quivering girl away.

Once they were gone his smile evaporated, and he turned on the rest of his men.

"Come on, we have to hurry, but remember, **no one** makes a move before Aleksandr." And as he said the name, a shadow next to Leonardo moved making everyone but Nathaniel jump.

"Ha, ha, yes." His laugh could make the toughest solider quake.

The shadow, Aleksandr, stepped forward and pulled back his hood.

"Don't worry, my friend," He said in a thick ascent.

"I will give you your victory." He said with a sneer.

Leonardo growled.

"Silence!" The General yelled and his men fell silent instantly.

"Just, go and do your job." He continued his voice deadly.

Aleksandr gulped. "Yes sir." And with that he rushed off to do the job he was told to.

Nathaniel watched him go through one of the smaller tunnels then turned back to his men.

"You," he pointed to Leonardo. "Get your men and come with me."

"I'm deeply sorry, but, trespassing be a crime in this country, so you won't be going anywhere." An accented voice said behind him and he spun around to face 50 men, armed with swords, axes and maces, led by a man and a woman.

The woman had Aleksandr, the best spy the General had ever met, unconscious and hanging by the scruff of his neck in one hand and a long sword in the other.

The other had dangerous looking daggers in each hand.

They were, as you have probably guessed, Baron George Cooper and Baroness Alanna of Pirates Swoop and Olau.

While the other knights nervously looked to their leader, Nathaniel grinned from ear to ear.

"Ah, yes, George Cooper of the Swoop and his pet warrior Alanna. I anticipated this battle might accrue. Knights! Unsheathe your weapons!"

The 50 emerald-clad warriors drew their swords.

Alanna stepped forward to meet the invaders head on, "ATTACK!"

The two bands of warriors charged to engage each, Swoop warrior for Jade Knight, each taking on their own respective foe with an eager for domination. Alanna took point. George and Nathaniel remained towards the back of their respective regiments.

As Alanna began tearing through the ranks, it seemed that the Swoop warriors would win the day.

"Maybe, maybe not." Nathaniel responded. He then signaled Albert who then carefully poured a jar of oil over one of the crossbeams. He then quickly lit a match and held it to the drenched log of wood.

Flames jetted up all throughout tunnel. The fighting quickly turned into a struggle for survival as the Jade knights pushed the Swoop warriors deeper into the catacombs, preventing their escape. Nathaniel took this opportunity to make a dash for the exit ahead of the flames.

"Oh, no you don't." Said George, who proceeded to chase after the general.

The flames rose higher as the battle between the men of science and the men of fantasy raged, sweat from the heat pouring from the faces of both sides. Alanna was lobbing off one knight's head, then spinning around and wedging her sword in between plates of Jade armor. She next repealed off her sword to kick another Jade warrior into a flaming cross beam.

The brittle piece of wood snapped easily upon impact, which made Alanna realize what was happening.

"By the Mother!" She gasped. The fire was causing the entire cavern to lose integrity. It would collapse any minuet unless she did something.

She stretched one hand to the ceiling and fought with the other, violet fire poured out of her, trying desperately to keep the ceiling from collapsing on top of them. While the Lioness was distracted, Albert came up from behind Alanna and swiftly stabbed a TASER in her back.

It was feeling unlike anything Alanna had felt before. She felt the electricity dart from limb to limb as she lost feeling in her arms and legs. After screaming briefly, her vision went completely black and she fell backwards, falling right into the sack the knights had readied in advance.


	5. How?

George ran after Nathaniel, down an escape root and towered the light at the end of it. He could still hear nothing but the crackling of the flames as they consumed the wooden beams.

The Whisper Man smiled as the General started to slow, and he quickly caught up to him.

"Looks like yi'll be stop'n yer rampage'n, eh?" George said as he held one of his numerous blades to his throat and another at his side.

But, you see, the Jade knights will soon be notorious for not playing fair, as you will see. Leonardo jumped George from behind and knocked him unconscious with the butt of his laser gun.

(line)

Standing safely on a high cliff inland away from the city, the warriors Alanna and George kneeled helplessly in the clutches of the Jade knights.

They all starred forward as the walls of Pirate Swoop crumbled to the ground; the flames initially flared high, but the piles of aloft cobblestones smothered them quick.

The rest of the castle could not stand long without a wall, and soon the entire structure was a smoldering expanse of stone rubble.

General Nathaniel himself watched eagerly from a ledge ahead of the others, commenting, "A truly practical, albeit medieval tactic. Simply by setting fire to the support beams of a tunnel, entire castles have seen destruction."

Sparing only another minuet to observe the results of his efforts, he turned to regard his prisoners. "Tell me, how to do think king Jonathan will respond to this?"

The copper-tressed knight raised her head slowly, to regard her adversary. Her eyes glinted with such fiery hate that, for a moment, he almost feared she had found a way to use her gift.

"You are dead." She intoned. "You are more certainly doomed then a dog dying in the Bahzrine Desert. Even if it takes a hundred years, even if it takes me beyond the realms of mortals and immortals alike! I will KILL you for what you have done here!"

The general tried not appear perturbed in the least.

"That was not the question I asked, I want to know about your king. Now that we have demonstrated our superior force, will he comply with our demands?" He paused to allow her to answer.

The knight merely continued to glare at him with utter loathing and fury.

"I see, I had hoped to avoid this unpleasantness, but now you have made it necessary." He turned and made a curt hand-gesture to one of his men.

"In truth," he again addressed the prisoners, "I am fairly confident of your king's reaction. From all I hear, he is foolish and stubborn, unable to see the big picture."

As his men carried them away he added. "This interrogation is to find out any information you may have about Tortall's defenses which I lack. Also. . ."

Here he lowered his voice so only George and Alanna could hear. " I must punish you for your insolence, to retain the respect of my men."

"O, certainly." Muttered the realm's spymaster as he and his wife were led to an isolated red tent.

"Because EVERYbody respects a cowardly bully with delusions of grandeur."


	6. When?

Nathaniel knew he was working too late. The light outside his tent had changed from the pleasant, uniform glow of sunshine to the harsh flicker of torches over three hours ago.

While continuing to examine the maps on his rough-cut wood desk, he reached up to the hanging oil lamp to brighten its flame.

Curse these medieval worlds. He thought. And curse me for deciding to bring only the bare necessities from our own world, so that we have to "live off the land."

As he returned to examining the terrain to the south, there was a rustle at the entrance flap. "Enter!" he barked.

Flavius entered the tent with some apprehension but gave his report in a clear and relatively calm voice.

"Sir, the interrogations of the prisoners yielded nothing. Following your instructions, we had them beaten with a variety of instruments, starved, employed the hot irons, and hung them in and exceedingly awkward position for several hours. They refused to say anything at all, except for hurling obscenities at us. "

The general frowned and nodded.

"She is trying to keep us guessing" he thought out loud, "trying to keep us pinned down here wondering what secret information we are being denied."

He paused a moment then slammed his fist on the desk hard. "Curse her!" He growled.

"The prisoner my lord?"

Nathaniel smiled a secret smile and gave an inward sigh. "Yes, of course."

Making his decision he rose from the rickety chair behind the desk. "Flavius, ready the men to move out at dawn, and fetch me my armor. Also, have the prisoners secured in a litter and bring them with us. I may have a use for them later."

"And where shall we be marching sir?"

The commander's eyes were as bright and cold as winter sunlight on a frozen pond.

"Corus"


	7. They are Coming

It was a cold, blustery autumn day in Corus, and the young girl running through the long halls of the palace was glad she was not out in it.

She was fairly tall, certainly taller than most fifteen year olds, and wore her dark brown hair tied back in a not-so-neat bun at the nape of her neck.

She was carrying a small basket under her arm and was dressed in the white blouse and black skirt of the palace servants, and she was on her way back from an errand for one of its healers, Miersa Sunbird.

She turned the corner and skidded to a halt just before colliding with the mage.

"Good heavens! Watch where you are going, child." She exclaimed in her stuffed up way, rounding on the girl.

"Excuse me Mistress Sunbird." She mumbled head down, dipping only the smallest of curtsies.

None of the servants liked 'Mistress Sunbird' and the girl least of all. She seemed always to appear right when you were about to go somewhere or meet someone.

_Healer my left foot._ She thought furiously. _Couldn't heal a sniffle if her life depended on it._

Miersa sniffed. "Do you have the herbs I require? Good." She said snatching the basket from the girl's out stretched hand.

"Now, be off with you." And with that she turned away and marched back towards the infirmary.

The fifteen year old was more than willing to leave, and ran back to the kitchens, praying that she would not be stopped again.

One could always smell the palace kitchens before you saw them. The aroma of baking bread, freshly made pies and rousting meats wafted through the halls from ten paces away and the girl could never resist a short stop by whenever she walked those corridors.

As she sat on one of the long wooden benches placed along the rectangular table, a very familiar figure stepped in front of her, beaming at her with bright, twinkling hazel eyes.

"Why, good morning Aquila! And how are we today?" She said in her usual cheerful voice.

She was a squat, well rounded woman in her late sixties, who had always treated the girl, Aquila, like one of her own granddaughters.

"Fairly good now, Nenna." Aquila sighed. "Anything interesting going on around here?"

Nenna scowled. "Well, here comes your answer now." She grumbled and turned to scolded a couple of maids that were about to put too much basil in the soup.

The young girl was only confused a moment before she had a friend on either side of her.

"Hello Quill!" Piped Dara on her left.

"Hi Quill!" Chirped Hanan on her right.

"Greetings, O friend Quill." Drawled a third voice as its owner slid into the seat right across from Aquila.

She chuckled warmly at her three friends, who always knew just how to make her feel better.

The three of them, Dara, Hanan and last but not least, Qamar, were triplets whose mother had died when they were born, and their father died shortly after employing his children in castle services.

Hanan was the oldest. She was of middle height with dusty brown hair that went down to her wait that she always had tied back in a thick braid. She had deep blue eyes that had the slight tilt she shared with her siblings.

Qamar was next, with close-cropped, midnight black hair and dark blue eyes. He topped both his sister and Aquila by at least a hand and had a dry, but comical sense of humor.

And then there was short little Dara. She was only a minute or two behind the others, but she was always considered the baby of the three. She had platinum blond hair that she wore in a small bun with a horsetail coming from its base, and sparkling blue eyes.

It was Dara who spoke first.

"Have you heard the rumors yet?"

"No, what rumors?"

Now it was Hanan's turn to speak, but before she did, she motioned the group to gather round so no others would hear.

"It says, and this just rumor mind!" Dara rolled her eyes and Hanan continued.

"It says that the Jade Knights coming to besiege Corus!"

"Wait, the Jade what's?" Aquila asked, plainly confused.

"What! You haven't heard?" Qamar exclaimed, shocked.

"Well, the Jade Knights are a group of men who wear mage resistant jade armor. They suddenly appeared out of no ware about two weeks ago with an army of Scanrans at their backs. No one knows who they are, where they come from or why they're here, only that we've not heard from Fort New Hope, Mage's Tower, or Pirate's Swoop in nine days."

Aquila was stunned from shock. _But if the rumors are true, and these Jade Knights really _are _coming to Corus….._

No. She had to look like she thought it was a simple rumor, for her friend's sake.

Aquila was always the practical, levelheaded, logical person of the little group. She was the one who scolded Qamar for his pranks, teased Dara for spending so much time with her hair, and stopped Hanan's wild rumors in their tracks.

"You and your talk, Hanan. It's just gabble, nothing more." She said trying to sound confident.

_I hope._

Before the others could start to argue, Aquila deftly changed the subject.

"Does anyone know ware Kemen and Ren are?"

Kemen and Ren were two other friends in the palace servants, though, Kemen worked in the stables. They were great for conversation separately, but together they had a secret that they believed no one else knew.

Qamar snickered.

Dara giggled.

But dear Hanan merely raised an eyebrow and said.

"Must I truly have to say?"

(line)

Ren's head spun and her feet stuck to the cobblestones under her.

Kemen's lips left Ren's for only a moment before they found their way back together again.

They were hidden from view in a notch in the wall near the front gate of the palace. It was always difficult to sneak away from their castle duties so that they could be together, but Kemen and Ren always found a way.

They parted once more, though Kemen kept his arms around Ren waist and her's around his neck.

He brushed a lock of wavy, dark brown hair out of her eyes. "I love you." He said and kissed her again.

"Mmmm…. I certainly hope so, for your sake." She replied grinning, a wicked gleam in her deep brown eyes.

Kemen chuckled and they spent the next few minutes kissing and holding each other close.

Suddenly they heard a noise coming from the gate.

"What was that?" Kemen asked and rushed to the entrance of alcove, Ren at his heels, clutching her black shawl around her.

Two guards were holding up a disheveled, bruised and bloody figure clutching an unopened, blood stained envelope in shaking hands.

A stable boy came to take the messenger's horse (who was not in much better condition himself) as Ren and Kemen looked on.

"Jade Knights…" He mumbled looking half dead. "Must warn…Their Majesties!"

An older servant had come with a flask of water and was holding it to the man lips saying, "Hush now, we'll take you to them. Come" he motioned for the guards to follow him inside the palace.

Kemen turned to Ren and kissed her once more.

"I'm going to find out what's going on. Find Aquila and the triplets and tell them what's happened."

And with that he was off before Ren could say a word in reply.


End file.
